Improvement in harvesters



4 Sheets--'Shee12.

l. D. WILBER.,

Harvesters. No. 142,828. Parenxedseptemberm,1873.

4 Sheets--Shet 3.

l. D. WILBER.

Harvesters.

N0. 142,828. Patented September16,l873.

4 Sheets--Shet 4.

J. D. WlLBER.

Harvesters. N0. 142,828, Patented September16,1873.

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE JOHN D. WILBEB, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 142,828, dated September 16,1873; application filed January 27, 1873.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. WILBER, of Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements on Mowing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings making part of this specification, in which- Figure l, Plate l, is atop view of the machine complete. Fig. 2, Plate 2, is an elevation of the left-hand side of the machine. Fig. 3, Plate 2, is a section taken vertically and longitudinally through the machine in the plane indicated by dotted line a: Fig. l, looking toward the right-hand side thereof. Fig. 4, Plate 3, is a cross-section through the cutting apparatus, showing the right hand support therefor. Fig. 5, Plate 3, is a sectional view of the left-hand supports for the cutting apparatus. Fig. 6, Plate 4, is a top View in detail ofthe double-tree on the tongue and its attachments thereto. Fig. 7, Plate 4, is a cross-section through Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9, Plate 4, are views showing the devices for lifting the cutting apparatus.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on direct-draft mowing-machines where the cutting apparatus is arranged in front of the transporting-wheels, and connected to the frame of the machine by loose-jointed arms, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following is a description of my iinprovements.

In the accompanying drawings, A A represent the transporting-wheels, which are also driving-wheels for the sickle, and which are applied loosely on an axle, B. On this axle B is also 'applied loosely a frame, E, consisting of two longitudinal side bars connected together in rear of the axle B by cross-bars, as

shown in Fig. 1. This frame is thus allowed to vibrate vertically on its axle. Between the side bars of frame E the platform C is loosely connected to the axle by tubular bearings a a, and to the middle of this platform a tongue, I), is rigidly secured, rising from rear end ot' which is a standard for the drivers seat D1. The finger-bar G, on which plays the sickle G", is located directly in front of the transporting-wheels A A, and is connected to the frame E as follows: On the outer side of the left-hand side bar of frame E an arm, G2, is rigidly secured, which arm inclines downward, and is curved outward. Its lower end is fitted loosely into a socket, which is made into the rear end of a shoe, H, and is held in this socket by pins iittin g into a groove in that portion of the arm G2 which is received into the socket. The left-hand shoe H is thus allowed to rock laterally on its arm, and it is allowed to rise and descend by reason of the attachment of the arm G2 to the vertically-vibrating frame E. This left-hand shoe has secured to it the left-hand end ofthe finger-bar G, and by means of a front extension of this shoe a lead-wheel, t', is employed, the stud-bearing 2 of which is adjustable in a vertical slot, 3, which is through the said front extension of the shoe H. (Shown in Fig. 5.) The right-hand end of the fingerbar G is also rigidly secured to a shoe, H, which, like the left-hand shoe H, is constructed with a front extension, and provided with a leadwheel, i, whose stud-bearing 2 is adjustable in a slot, 3. (Shown in Fig. 4.) By means of the slotted connections of the studs 2 of the wheels it' the nger-bar and sickle can be adjusted for cutting higher or lower, as may be required. The ri ght-hand shoe H is connected, by a transverse pivot, 5, at its rear end, to the front end of an arm, G1, the rear end of which is connected, by a ball-and-socket joint, p, to the inner side of the right-hand side bar of frame E. (Shown byFig's. 1,3, and 8.) By thus attaching the shoes at the extremities of the finger-bar G to the frame E and arms G1 G2, the fingerbar is allowed to accommodate itself freely to all inequalities of surface passed over. The length of the finger-bar and sickle is such that the lead-wheels t' t' run on the ground outside of the treads of the wheels A A. This allows a swath to be cut which is wider than the space between the treads of the wheels A A; consequently these wheels will not run on the standing grass. I obtain this result in my machine by giving the front ends of the two arms Grl Gr2 the proper outward curve, and

makin gthe sickle and iin ger-baraproperlength to extend from one shoe to the other. To prevent the wheels A'A from running on the cut grass which falls behind the finger-bar, I employ curved deflectors h 7L and h' h'. The deflectors h' h' lean the grass toward the center of the swath, and cause it to fall in this direction from both sides of the machine, while the deilectors h h are pivoted at their front ends to the inner sides of the shoes H H, and extend backward and inward, so as to press the cut grass toward the center of the machine out of the paths of the wheels A A. It will thus be seen that the wheels A A neither run on the standing grass nor on the cut grass.

The sickle GrX is reciprocated by an angular lever, j, which vibrates about a pivot on the left-hand shoe II. One arm of this angular lever is connected by a pitman-rod, J, to a wrist-pin on the outer face of a crank-wheel, K, which latter is keyed on a short shaft, K', whose bearings are located in rear of the axle B. On this shaft K is keyed a pinion spur-wheel, (not shown in the drawings,) which engages with the teeth of a larger spur-whcel, a', on ahorizontal transverse shaft, B'. The two spur-wheels just described are housed in by a guard, l. (Shown in Fig. l.) The shaft B has its bearings on the longitudinal bars oi the frame E, in rear of the shaft K', and the spur-wheel fr is applied loosely on this shaft B', but can be made fast thereon at the pleasure of the driver by means of a clutch,

c o, one portion of which is fast on its shaft, and the other portion is applied to the hub of the spur-wheel i". To clutch and unclutch the wheel i', ahand-lever, m, is used, which is piv' oted to the rear cross-bar of frame E, and connected by a yoke and annular groove to the hub of said wheel. This lever m is located in a convenient position to the driver sitting on the seat D1. The driving power for the sickle is derived from large spur-wheels A', which are xed to the inner sides of the two wheels A, eccentrically to the axis of the shaft B', and with which engage pinions p'. The pinions p' are applied by means of clutches b on the shaft B', which clutches engage the pinions to their shaft when the machine is moved forward, but not when it is moved backward. D3 represents a double tree, which crosses the tongue D at the middle of its length, and which has attached to its extremities singletrees d3, which latter are outside of the path of the machine, owing to the length of the double-tree. rlhis `double-tree D3 is pivoted to a T-shaped slide, f, which works in a dovetail groove made longitudinally into a plate, g, fast on the tongue. At the extremities of the grooved plate g are stop-pins 6 6, which limit the forward and backward movements of the double-tree. By inserting a movable pin, g', into a hole, 5, through plate g, the doubletree will be prevented from moving forward beyond such pin, and consequently the draft will be directly from the axle B.

The horns f' f' of plate f prevent the extremities of the double-tree from being moved s0 far back as would allow the horses legs to be injured by the cutting apparatus.

By reference to Fig. l it will be seen that the double-tree D3 is connected by a rod, e2, to a single-tree, D2, which rod is kept in place on the tongue D by means of staple QJ. The extremities of the sin gie-tree D2 are connected, by chains and rods e e, to draft-irons e1 el, one of which is secured to the front end of the rigid left-hand side bar of the frame E, and the other is secured to the swinging socketed curved arm G1, in front of its joint-connection p and in front of the axle B.

The draft-irons may be adjustable longitudinally, or they may have several perforations through them, which will allow the doubletree and sin gle-tree to be adjusted forward or backward, according to the weight ofthe grass to be cut.

i/Vhen the pin g' is removed from the hole 5 the horses will draw the machine from the draft-irons e1 el, the tendency of which is to sustain the cutting apparatus, so that it will not bear with its entire weight upon the 'ground with either end. I Athus greatly lighten the draft of the machine.

For the purpose ,of lifting thecuttin g apparatus free from the ground I employ a vertically movable stirrup, t, which is guided by the right-hand bar of the frame E, and through which passes the arm G1, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The lifting portion of the stirrup t is located inside of the right-hand bar of frame E, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The stirrup t is hung from a grooved segment, o, by a chain, s, which segment is keyed on the shaft u2 of a lever, n. The segment and its shaft have their bearings on the platform C, and by means of a pawl, nl, and a ratchet, which is on shaft a', the cutting apparatus can-be sustained when it is raised from the ground.

The improvement which I have made Aon this lifting apparatus consists in locating the stirrup on the inner side of the ri ght-hand side bar of frame E, so that the segment o, from which this loop is suspended, can be brought near the outer bearing of the rock-shaft a2, thus relieving this shaft u2 of much strain to which it would be subjected if the shaft n2 were extended out over the side bar of frame E.

It will be seen from the above description, first, that the draft of the horses on the machine operates to overcome the tendency of both ends of the finger-bar and its attachments to press down upon the ground; second, that this tendency to lift either end of the cutting apparatus can be increasedor diminished, as circumstances require, by attaching the rods e to the draft-irons farther forward or backward; third, that when it is desired to draw directly from the axle B, this can be done by inserting the pin g' into the grooved plate g, in front of the double-tree D3; fourth,

that the cutting apparatus is of sch length that the Width of the swath cut is greater than the distance between the treads of the transporting-wheels.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The sliding` plate f, constructed with stops or horns f', and having` pivoted to it the double-tree D3, substantially as described.

2. The draft chains or rods e e, suspended from the evener D2, one of which is attached to the left-side arm of frame E, the other to the right-side brace Gf, as and for the purpose set forth.

Witnesses: l

E. J. WILBER, L. F. GARDNER. 

